ACT Decriminalises Drug Possession: Labor MP Michael Pettersson on Forging Reform
That the century-old system of drug prohibition is a failure is well-established in legal circles, amongst medical experts, those who partake in illicit substances, families who’ve lost loved ones to the use of them, and a growing cross section of...
NSW Parliament to Consider Medicinal Cannabis Defence to Drug Driving
“The current outdated roadside drug testing laws have very real impacts on the people of NSW, who should not have to choose between being in pain and losing their jobs,” said NSW Greens MLC Cate Faehrmann in relation to people...
Thailand’s Cannabis Industry Is Taking Off Under a Hazy Legal Grey Area
The burgeoning legal cannabis market operating in Thailand is a beautiful thing to witness. No longer are police officers busting individuals over the whiff of a joint, but rather locals and foreigners alike can follow that scent to a legitimate...
Australian Police Continue to Raid Cannabis Farmers… Meanwhile in Thailand
Strike Force Mactier raided a Peats Ridge property on 26 August, seizing 50 kilograms worth of cannabis head and 2,137 plants from four greenhouses. NSW police officers arrested three men in relation to the setup, charging them with large commercial cultivation and...
Inside Bangkok’s Legal Cannabis Café
Bangkok’s backpacker mecca Khao San Road has gone through a lot of changes over recent decades. The slick neon-lit bars lining much of the street are a far cry from the more down-home establishments of the past. But the most...
“Police Powers Are Bleeding Out”: Redfern Legal Centre’s Sam Lee on the Strip Search Class Action
The long-awaited strip search class action was filed in the Common Law Division of the NSW Supreme Court on 21 July. The proceedings will cover all music festival attendees, who’ve registered and been subjected to a suspect strip search at events...
Class Action Commenced Against Police Over Illegal Strip Searches
As festival goers battled through the mud, cold and rain on the New South Wales north coast this past weekend to see their favourite bands play at the Splendour in the Grass music Festival, news surfaced that a class action...
NSW Police Are Still Using Sniffer Dogs to Arrest Over Tiny Amounts of Cannabis
Scrolling through the Sniff Off Facebook page, it’s clear from recent posts warning as to the whereabouts of NSW police officers deployed with accompanying drug detecting labradors that this antiquated law enforcement practice is back in full swing. A joint venture...
NSW Government Stalls on Inevitable Drug Reforms: An Interview With NUAA’s Dr Mary Ellen Harrod
Prior to COVID entering our world, the issue of illicit substances and the need to move away from the punitive law enforcement approach the NSW government and most others around the nation are taking to them was front and centre...
The Sluggish Demise of Drug Prohibition Is Gaining Momentum
Right before the pandemic shut down shifted the focus of concern, NSW drug policy was under scrutiny with the then Berejiklian government baulking at pill testing trials to address drug-related deaths at events and rather attempting to shut down the festival industry...
